UK News on Genocide Recognition, Reconciliation and Resolution‏

House of Commons
London

15 July 2010
Armenia: Genocide

Hansard Col: 848W

Robert Flello

(Stoke-on-Trent South, Labour):

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth
Affairs what his policy is on recognition of the deaths which took place in the

Armenian genocide in 1919. [6916]

Mr Lidington

(Minister of State (Europe and NATO), Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Aylesbury, Conservative):

The terrible suffering that was inflicted on Armenians living in the

Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century cannot be forgotten. The massacres

and crimes that were committed were rightly and robustly condemned by the

Government of the day. While we remember the victims of the past, our priority

today should be to promote reconciliation between the peoples and governments

of Turkey and Armenia. That is the best way to ensure a peaceful and secure

future for everyone living in the region.

Reponse by Edgar Danielyan

(member of Armenian Legal Initiative UK)

Dear Mr Lidington,

Re: your answer to the question about Armenian Genocide by Mr Flello

You may be interested to hear that the party line you are repeating is
completely discredited and no one even dimly aware of the
circumstances of the matter takes it seriously. The latest
condemnation of your unethical and immoral position comes from the
eminent jurist and judge Geoffrey Robertson QC:

"I consider that Parliament has been routinely misinformed, by
ministers who have recited FCO briefs without questioning their
accuracy. HMG’s real and only policy has been to evade truthful
answers to questions about the Armenian Genocide, because the truth
would discomfort the Turkish government. It can be predicted that any
future question on the subject will be met with the same meaningless
formula about “insufficiently unequivocal evidence,” disguising the
simple fact that HMG will not now come to terms with an issue on which
it was once so volubly certain, namely that the Armenian massacres
were a “crime against humanity” which should never be forgiven or
forgotten. Times change, but as other civilised nations recognise, the
universal crimes of genocide and torture have no statute of
limitations. Judge Balthazar Garzon, in opening his investigation of
the crimes of the Franco era, declared that their perpetrators should
have no posthumous impunity: the same might be said of the authors of
the Armenian genocide."
http://www.armenian-genocide.info/2009/11/geoffrey-robertson-qcs-legal-opinion-on.html

I hope you are not under any illusion whatsoever as to the reality of
your position: it is factually incorrect, ethically wrong and morally
abhorrent. The position of the government on this issue is actually so
weak that you are unable to name even few internationally-recognised
independent experts who would publicly support your line. By denying
the Armenian Genocide you are contributing to its final stage, and
your concerns about "peaceful and secure future for everyone " are
nothing but a cliche - there will be no peace or security until this
heinous crime is fully recognised and condemned - rest assured that
will come with or without your support.

Yours sincerely,

Edgar Danielyan

As to the progress on reconciliation, just read the latest bluster from the

Turkish Foreign Minister who does not realise that the political ball is in

his court (as confirmed by Secretary of State Clinton, no particular friend

of Armenia).

Where is the political will in Turkey?

Is it not evident that its South Caucusus policy is determined by Baku and

not Ankara?

Tert.am

Ankara accusing Yerevan of 'lack of political will'
17:11 • 16.07.10

Turkey has the political will necessary to continue the so-called
peace process that has started in the region and it is willing to
develop relations with all its neighbors based on mutual trust and
friendship, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, reported by
Turkish Anadolu agency.

"Recently there has been some progress with solving the existing
problems with our neighbors. But Armenia continues to remain the weak
circle of that process. The signing of the Protocols became the first
step in the normalization process. And the continuity of that process
will definitely be dependent on whether or not will Armenia have the
will and adopt a constructive approach to solve the problems," said
Davutoglu.

Further Davutoglu said the process might move ahead should Armenia
like Turkey have the same political will.

"And if Armenia shows the same political will, the process may move
forward for the benefit of the whole region. By not shaking the hand
of friendship that Turkey has landed, Armenia will first of all harm
itself," added Turkish FM.

Speaking about the Nagorno Karabakh conflict Davutoglu also said that
Ankara has not proposed to deploy peacekeepers there after the
conflict's resolution.

And here is the latest state of affairs with the other Turks:

Nalbandian Calls Mammadyarov Statements ‘Lies’
Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian

YEREVAN (Combined Sources)—The war of words between Armenia and

Azerbaijan escalated Thursday, with the Armenian Foreign Minister calling

statements made by his Azeri counterpart regarding the current phase of

the Karabakh peace process “absolute lies.”

Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov on Thursday alleged that the

withdrawal of Armenian forces from Kelbajar and Lachin would be discussed

in a possible upcoming meeting with Armenia’s Eduard Nalbandian,

claiming that this topic was also discussed during last month’s presidential

summit in St. Petersburg.

“The Armenian side has never discussed the transfer of Lachin and Kelbajar

to Azeri administrative control,” said Nalbandian, stressing that the matter

was also not discussed during last month’s St. Petersburg meeting of

presidents Serzh Sarkisian, Ilham Aliyev and Dmitry Medvedev.

Nalbandian traveled to Almaty, Kazakhstan to take part in an informal summit

of OSCE member-state foreign ministers. He said at a press briefing Tuesday

that a meeting with Mammadyarov might take place on the sidelines of the

OSCE summit.

During his press briefing Thursday in Baku, Mammadyarov not only reiterated

the claim that the aforementioned topic was to be discussed but announced

Baku’s “acceptance” of a five-year timeframe for the Kelbajar and Lachin transfer.

“The updated Madrid principles envision the return of Kelbajar and Lachin

districts to Azerbaijan within five years. This was proposed by the OSCE

Minsk Group co-chairs,” said Mammadyarov referring to the principles that

have served as guidelines for the Karabakh talks.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, Nalbandian insisted that the so-called Madrid

principles were effectively dead and that during the St. Petersburg meeting,

Medvedev presented a new set of principles which heretofore will guide the

peace talks.

Armenia’s deputy foreign minister, Shavarsh Kocharyan, on Friday said

“the withdrawal of Karabakh forces from any territory will be out of question

until Azerbaijan agrees to accept Karabakh’s status in accordance with the

results of an expression of the Nagorno-Karabakh people’s will, and

expresses readiness to withdraw its armed forces from the occupied regions

of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,” a clear reference to the Shahumian,

Getashen and Martunashen districts of Karabakh, whose Armenian population

was forcibly deported and massacred by Azeri forces.